http://www.midtown.com/clubs/rochester-athletic-tennis-club
I have had a love for running and fitness my entire life. I retired from my first career in pharmaceutical sales after the birth of our first born in 1999. It didn’t take me long to find my path to sharing my passion for fitness with others. I quickly immersed myself in various group exercise certifications. These include: cardio and step, kick boxing, sports conditioning, boot camp, aquatics, core muscle, various cycle certifications (including Reebok and Keiser) and RRCA (Road Runner Club of America) Certified Running Coach.
Personally, running has always been my passion. I have run many races from 5ks to marathons and everything in between. My love is the MARATHON! I have run 11 so far….…..
Chicago Marathon ‘02, Country Music Marathon ‘05, Boston Marathon ‘06, Chicago Marathon ‘06,
Boston Marathon ‘07, New York Marathon ‘07, Dublin Marathon ‘08, Pittsburgh Marathon ‘09,
Marine Corps Marathon ‘09, Boston Marathon ’10, Toronto Waterfront Marathon ‘10.
I am currently on the lookout for #12. I have also, more recently, been seen “dabbling” in triathlons and hope to add some more fun and extreme racing like the Tough Mudder and Urbanathlon to my repertoire in the coming year.
The only thing I enjoy as much as training myself for events, is training others, whether it be a 5k or one’s first marathon. I find SUCH joy in sharing the gift of running with others. I have successfully started many running groups, training all levels of ability from youth through adult, including coaching cross country at the high school level. There is nothing better than seeing a runner cross the finish line for the first time! Running has afforded me so many special opportunities, too many to list here, but most special to me are being invited to join Team Hoyt and run one of my Boston Marathons with Dick and Rick Hoyt and traveling to Ireland with my Dad to run the Dublin Marathon.
When not running you can find me teaching cycle at Midtown Athletic Club, which is my MOST favorite thing to teach. A lot of what I apply to running can be applied on the bike. Many who have taken my classes will attest to the fact that I LOVE my interval training. That is true on and off the bike! You will also see me involved with various special events around the club. I am very excited to announce that I am in the process of starting a Running Program at Midtown too!
This year I have been fortunate as a runner to discover yoga. I looked to yoga in January of 2011 as a remedy for a running injury (as so many of us runners do). While I found the physical benefits I was looking for in Power Vinyasa, the gifts I find in yoga run so much deeper. The mental, emotional and physical benefits go hand and hand with running. I continue to practice 4-5 times a week.
All things in life are not just fitness related. I find it important to give back to our communities when we can. At least once a year my family is involved in some sort of fundraiser, whether it be book drives, Xmas box donations, volunteering at church, fund raising for Team Hoyt and Hospice Care to name a few.
There is one passion that I hold much greater in my life than running and fitness or anything else. That passion is for my family. They are a source of love and happiness to me. I find this to be incomparable to anything I have ever known. They also help me giggle my way through life! I have many goals, both personal and professional, but my most important goal is to be the absolute best role model I can be for my 3 children.
In the words of Randy Pausch – “You just have to decide if you are a Tigger or an Eeyore.” Even on the more challenging of days, I choose Tigger.
